Report from Learning Leader Symposium in conjunction with the MACPA Innovation Summit. Featuring Learning Trends from Julie Duda @ Bersin, Vinay Nilakantan @ Meridian, Tom Hood @MACPA. Panel of CPA Firm Learning Leaders and a facilitated discussion by Pam Devine & Laura Dorsey-Shaner.

1. BLI Learning Leader
Symposium
June 27, 2012
MACPA Innovation Summit
Martin’s West, MD

2. BLI Live Talks
Our day started as part of the Maryland Innovation Summit with inspirational,
thought-provoking, and entertaining talks by BLI thought leaders: Alan
Patterson, Greg Conderacci, Frank Ryan, Jeff Magee, Jennifer Elder, Karl
Ahlrichs, Peter Margaritis, Bob Dean. 2

3. Agenda
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4. Pam, Vinay & Julie
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5. Keynote Addresses from Top Thought
Leaders in Talent Management
Julie Duda- Learning
analyst, Bersin
Associates, presented
“Next Generation
Learning and Trends”
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6. Keynote Addresses from Top Thought
Leaders in Talent Management
Vinay Nilakantan-
Director of Product
Development and
Research, Meridian
Knowledge Solutions,
LLC, “Nexus of Social
and Mobile Technology
in Training a Case
Study”
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7. Keynote Addresses from Top Thought
Leaders in Talent Management
Tom Hood CPA, CITP,
CGMA - CEO, MACPA
and BLI, “Horizons
2025 - Future Trends
Effecting the CPA
Profession”
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8. Panel Discussion
Facilitated by Bob Dean CPA, CLO, Founder
of Dean Learning Advisors.
Panelists included:
• BLI Learning Leader Advisory Panel:
– Julie Kirsch, Director of Learning,
Reznick Group
– Karen McManus, Senior Manager of
Training and Development, Cherry
Bekaert
– Jeanie Price, Partner and Director of
Administration, DeLeon & Stang
• Keynote Presenters:
– Julie Duda, Bersin Associates
– Vinay Nilakantan, Meridian Knowledge
Solutions, LLC
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9. Panelists Were Asked the
Following Questions
1. What are the best things that you have
going in your firm?
2. How do you make learning stick?
3. How are shifting demographics affecting
learning?
4. What are the most important issues that
you heard here this morning?
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10. Some Answers Included
1. What are the best things that you have
going in your firm?
– Strategy, strategic planning initiatives that
are reviewed annually.
– Internally designed conferences around
specific practice units. (ie. Tax, audit, and
leadership)
– Strong instructional design teams that are
able to design content and learning
specifically addressing needs of the firm.
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11. Some Answers Included
2. How do you make learning stick?
– Elements of reinforcement including mobile.
– Blending in post activates.
– Design follow-up activities as part of the
program design.
– Experiential learning.
– Case studies.
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12. Some Answers Included
4. How are shifting demographics affecting
learning?
– Learning solutions are giving our employees
more choices but it is not just generational.
– Age is not dictating the learning solutions,
personal preferences are dictating.
– 60-70% of training still Instructor Lead
Training (ILT).
– The ability to connect from anywhere
changing with various learning platforms.
– Social connection. 12

13. Some Answers Included
4. What are the most important issues that
you heard here this morning?
– Teamwork and collaboration.
– No excuses, have responsibility to have
access to learning from anywhere.
– How iPads and mobile learning will affect
classroom learning.
– Progression of the learning value chain.
– Challenges in the CPA world are consistent
with the rest of the learning world.
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14. We Wrapped Up the Day with a Facilitated
Conversation Around Current Trends and
Opportunities
• Using our Insights 2 Actions methodology.
• The i2a process was a collaborative
process designed to pull out the groups
best thoughts and to share those thoughts.
– The process is based on four principles:
1. Share the air with other
2. Make your thinking visible to others
3. Rely on the wisdom of the crowd
4. You are the experts
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15. We Gave the Group Individual Think Time
to Answer the Following Questions
1. Where do we see Learning Going in the
Future? What is different about Learning now
than in the past?
2. How can training professionals affect bottom
line results?
3. What do you need to increase the effectiveness
of Learning in you organization? How do we
keep this conversation going and create a
collaborative community around learning and
talent management?
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16. Working Collaboratively the Groups Came
Up with the Following Top Answers
Question 1:
• A.) Where do we see Learning Going in the Future?
– More options for style and subject
– More real life applications in training
– Increase mobility
– More business success training
– Training used as a recruiting tool
– Expectation of training by employees
– On Demand virtual video vs. live
– Shorter segments
– Learning with clients
– Lifelong learning = employee benefits
– Collaborative process
– Mobile
– Theoretical and practical
• B.) What is different about Learning now than in the past?
– Less structured
– Casual
– Blended learning
– The learning is under microscope
– Coaching and mentoring
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17. Answers to Question 1
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18. Working Collaboratively the Groups Came
Up with the Following Top Answers
Question 2:
• How can training professionals affect bottom line results?
– Well trained employees = more productivity
– Train learners to learn
– Capitalizing on the formal training
– Knowledge sharing (knowledge management)
– Efficiency = client satisfaction
– Social impact
– Hire BLI for tailored training
– Collaborating with peers (networking solutions)
– Training professionals (TP) need to build relationships and know the business
– Link learning to business strategy
– Accommodate productivity
– Building in high profit areas and areas needing improvement
– Provide specialized tools/ training
– Follow-up e-tools,
– Follow-up deliverables (cutting edge)
– Personal follow-up and coaching (Skype and calls)
– Real time examples (case studies)
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19. Answers to Question 2
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20. Working Collaboratively the Groups Came
Up with the Following Top Answers
Question 3:
• A.) What do you need to increase the effectiveness of Learning in you
organization?
– More Subject Matter Expert (SMEs)
– Training and learning tied to performance reviews and reverse
– Cohesive and ongoing learning tied together
– Not crisis
– Case studies
– Structure
– Learning culture change
– Occupying NASBA
– Individualized (what the learner needs)
– Continuous collaborative communities with clients
– Buy in from the top
– Identify valuable metrics
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21. Working Collaboratively the Groups Came
Up with the Following Top Answers
Question 3:
• B.) How do we keep this conversation going and create a collaborative
community around learning and talent management?
– Create a training forum/ message board on MACPA website
– Start collaborative learning group through MACPA
– Manage LinkedIn group
– Training coordinator club with guided topics (ie. Monthly call in meeting with TLs)
– Think tank meeting
– More discussion (virtual meeting)
– Have a train the trainers session
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22. Answers to Question 3
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23. Tweets from #BLILearn
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24. 24

25. Comments from
participants

26. Meeting Details
Learning Leader Symposium
MACPA Innovation Summit
June 27, 2012
This booklet is a graphic meeting summary of the Learning Leader Symposium conducted
by the BLI Team in conjunction with the MACPA Innovation Summit. The pages are
reductions of large visual displays created on-site using BLI’s i2a Insights to Action –
Strategic Thinking System, provided by Pam Devine & Laura Dorsey-Shaner.
www.bizlearning.net/live/i2astrategicplanning
For more information regarding this gathering and its outcomes, please contact Pam
Devine.
Pamela Devine
http://www.linkedin.com/in/pameladevine
Business Learning Institute
(443) 632-2321
mailto:pam@bizlearning.net
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